Method for the Homogeneous Non-Contact Cooling of Hot, Non-Endless Surfaces and Device Therefor

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling hot articles, in particular an apparatus for homogeneous, contactless cooling of hot, primarily non-endless surfaces; the cooling apparatus has at least one cooling blade or a cooling cylinder; the cooling blade or cooling cylinder is embodied as hollow and has a cooling blade nozzle edge or a plurality of cooling cylinders arranged in a row; in the nozzle edge at least one nozzle is provided, which is aimed at an article to be cooled; and at least seven cooling blades are arranged in such a way that the flow pattern on the surface to be cooled forms a honeycomb-like structure; and to a method therefor.

The invention relates to a method for homogeneous, contactless cooling of hot, primarily non-endless surfaces and to an apparatus therefor.

In the technical field, cooling processes Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath Hardly a man or woman draws a breath are needed in many areas, for example when it is necessary to cool flat plates, but also when it is necessary to cool glass surfaces, for example in glass production, or to cool processor units and the like.

Prior cooling systems are either very expensive or are kept quite simple, e.g. by blowing air or other fluids such as water or oil; this entails the disadvantage that unfavorable, uncontrolled flow conditions always occur on the surface, which then become a problem when a particularly defined cooling is required.

In the prior art, it must be largely assumed that disadvantageous flow conditions, so-called cross flow, exist on the flat surface that is to be cooled and this causes heterogeneous surface temperatures. This is particularly disadvantageous if homogeneous temperatures are required in the region of the surface in order to achieve homogeneous material properties.

In particular, non-homogeneous surface temperatures also cause warpage.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,686 has disclosed an apparatus for cooling moving steel strips, which has a plurality of cooling fins extending transversely to the travel direction of the steel strip, and the cooling fins have cooling nozzles, which are aimed at the steel strip and which can blow a cooling fluid at the moving steel strip.

US 2011/0018178 A1 has disclosed a comparable apparatus, but which instead of cooling fins with nozzles, has a plurality of cooling cylinders that are aimed at the strip and whose free ends have outlet openings for a fluid that is to be supplied to a moving steel strip.

DE 69833424 T2 has disclosed an apparatus, which has a plurality of cooling fins that are likewise aimed at a moving steel strip and, in a way that is comparable to the above-mentioned prior art, act on the steel strip with jets of a cooling fluid, with the moving steel strip being tensioned by means of rollers in order to prevent movements that deviate from the unidirectional traveling movement of the strip.

Conventional cooling methods do not permit a controlled achievement of a predetermined target temperature, nor do they make it possible to systematically set virtually any cooling rate up to a maximum achievable cooling rate.

There are particular difficulties if different material thicknesses are present on a cooling surface, which are to be cooled to homogeneous temperature conditions.

The object of the invention is to achieve reproducible, systematic, homogeneous, contactless cooling of primarily non-endless hot surfaces to a defined surface temperature within a few seconds.

The object is attained with an apparatus having the features of claim 1.

Advantageous modifications are disclosed in the dependent claims that are dependent thereon.

Another object of the invention is to produce a method for re-producible, systematic, homogeneous contactless cooling of primarily non-endless hot surfaces to a defined surface temperature within a few seconds.

The object is attained with an apparatus having the features of claim 8.

Advantageous modifications are disclosed in the dependent claims that are dependent thereon.

According to the invention, it should be possible at temperatures of 20 to 900° C. to ensure a cooling that permits a maximum of a 30° C. temperature deviation within a square meter. The cooling mediums used are preferably common gases such as air gases, mixed gases, inert gases, etc., but can also be water or other fluids.

The invention should make it possible, for a low investment cost and with low operating costs, to achieve high system availability, high flexibility, and simple integration into existing production processes.

According to the invention, this is successfully achieved in that the surface to be cooled can be moved by means of robots or linear drives in the X, Y, or Z plane, it being possible to preset any movement trajectories and speeds of the surface to be cooled. In this case, the oscillation is preferably around a rest position in the X and Y planes. It is optionally possible for there to be oscillation in the Z plane (i.e. in the vertical direction).

It is also easily possible for there to be cooling on one or both sides.

The cooling units according to the invention are comprised of nozzles, which are spaced a certain distance apart from one another. The geometry of the nozzles, i.e. of the outlet opening, reaches from simple cylindrical geometries through complex geometrically defined embodiments. The cooling unit in this case is embodied so that the medium flowing away from the hot plate finds enough room and as a result, no cross flow is produced on the surface to be cooled. The spaces between the nozzles and/or nozzle rows can be acted on with an additional cross flow in order to increase the cooling rate and thus suck up, so to speak, the coolant that is flowing away from the hot plate. This cross flow, however, should not interfere with the coolant flowing from the nozzle to the plate, i.e. the free flow.

According to the invention, the preferred flow pattern on the surface to be cooled should have a honeycomb-like structure.

In this case, the cooling preferably takes place by means of at least one cooling blade; the cooling blade is a plate-like or cylindrical element, which can also taper from a base toward an outlet strip; and at least one nozzle is mounted in the outlet strip. In this case, the blade is embodied as hollow so that the nozzle can be supplied with a cooling fluid from the hollow blade. The nozzle(s) can be spaced apart from one another with wedge-like elements; the wedge-like elements can also narrow the space for the flowing fluid in the direction toward the nozzle.

In particular, this produces a twisting of the emerging jet of fluid.

Preferably, a plurality of blades is provided, situated next to one another, with the blades being offset from one another.

The offset arrangement likewise produces a cooling with points that are offset from one another, with the points blending into one another to produce homogeneous cooling and the emerging fluid is sucked up in the region between two blades and conveyed away.

In this case, the element to be cooled, e.g. a plate to be cooled, is preferably moved so that the movement of the plate one the one hand and the offset arrangement of the nozzles on the other ensures that the cooling fluid flows across all of the regions of the plate so that a homogeneous cooling is achieved.

The invention will be explained by way of example based on the drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a plurality of nozzle blades arranged parallel to one another;

FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of nozzle blades according to the section A-A in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through a nozzle blade according to the section line C-C in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlargement of the detail D from FIG. 3, showing the nozzles;

FIG. 5 is a schematic, perspective view of the arrangement of nozzle blades;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail of the edge region of the nozzle blades, with an offset within the arrangement of blades;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an arrangement of cooling blades according to the invention, which are consolidated into a cooling block;

FIG. 8 is a perspective rear view of the arrangement according to FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view into the interior of cooling blades according to the invention;

FIG. 10 depicts the cooling blades with the nozzles, showing a plate to be cooled, the temperature distribution, and the fluid temperature distribution;

FIG. 11 is a view of the arrangement according to FIG. 10, showing the speed distribution;

FIG. 12 schematically depicts the arrangement of two opposing cooling boxes composed of a plurality of cooling blades according to the invention arranged offset from one another and a moving carriage for taking an article to be cooled and conveying it through.

One possible embodiment will be described below.

The cooling apparatus 1 according to the invention has at least one cooling blade 2. The cooling blade 2 is embodied in the form of an elongated flap and has a cooling blade base 3, two cooling blade broad sides 4 extending away from the cooling blade base, two cooling blade narrow sides 5 that connect the cooling blade broad sides, and a free nozzle edge 6.

The cooling blade 2 is embodied as hollow with a cooling blade cavity 7; the cavity is enclosed by the cooling blade broad sides 4, the cooling blade narrow sides 5, and the nozzle edge 6; the cooling blade is open at the base 3. With the cooling blade base 3, the cooling blade is inserted into a cooling blade frame 8; and the cooling blade frame 8 can be placed onto a hollow fluid supply box.

The region of the nozzle edge 6 is provided with a plurality of nozzles or openings, which reach into the cavity 7 and thus permit fluid to flow out of the cavity to the outside through the nozzles 10.

From the nozzles, nozzle conduits 11 extend into the cavity 7, spatially separating the nozzles from one another, at least in the region of the nozzle edge 6. The nozzle conduits in this case are preferably embodied as wedge-shaped so that the nozzle conduits or nozzles are separated from one another by wedge-shaped struts 12. Preferably, the nozzle conduits are embodied so they widen out in the direction toward the cavity 7 so that an incoming fluid is accelerated by the narrowing of the nozzle conduits.

The cooling blade broad sides 4 can be embodied as converging from the cooling blade base 3 toward the nozzle edge 6 so that the cavity narrows in the direction toward the nozzle edge 6.

In addition, the cooling blade narrow sides 5 can be embodied as converging or diverging.

Preferably, at least two cooling blades 2 are provided, which are arranged parallel to each other in relation to the broad sides; with regard to the spacing of the nozzles 10, the cooling blades 2 are offset from one another by a half nozzle distance.

It is also possible for there to be more than two cooling blades 2.

With regard to the span of the nozzle edge, the nozzles 10 can likewise be embodied as longitudinally flush with the nozzle edge; the nozzles, however, can also be embodied as round, oval and aligned with the nozzle edge or oval and transverse to the nozzle edge, hexagonal, octagonal, or polygonal.

Particularly if the nozzles, with regard to the longitudinal span of the nozzle edge, are likewise embodied as oblong, particularly in the form of an oblong oval or oblong polygon, this causes a twisting of an emerging jet of fluid (FIGS. 10 & 11); an offset arrangement by half a nozzle spacing distance yields a cooling pattern on a plate-like body (FIG. 10), which is correspondingly offset.

The corresponding speed profile also produces a corresponding distribution (FIG. 11).

According to the invention, it has turned out that fluid flowing out of the nozzles 10 does in fact strike the surface of a body to be cooled (FIGS. 10 & 11), but it clearly flows away, plunging between the at least two blades of the cooling apparatus 1 so that the cooling flow at the surface of a body to be cooled is not interrupted.

Preferably the following conditions are present:

hydraulic diameter of nozzle=DH, where DH=4×A/U distance of nozzle from body=H

distance between two cooling blades/cooling cylinders=S length of nozzle=L

L>=6×DH

H<=6×DH, esp. 4 to 6×DH

S<=6×DH, esp. 4 to 6×DH (staggered array)

oscillation=half of the spacing distance between two cooling blades in X, Y (poss. Z)

For example, a cooling apparatus (FIG. 12) has two arrangements of cooling blades 2 in a cooling blade frame 8; the cooling blade frames 8 are embodied with corresponding fluid supplies 14 and particularly on the side oriented away from the cooling blades 2, are provided with a fluid box that contains pressurized fluid, in particular by means of a supply of pressurized fluid.

In addition, a moving device 16 is provided; the moving device is embodied so that a body to be cooled can be conveyed between the opposing cooling blade arrangements in such a way that a cooling action can be exerted on both sides of the body to be cooled.

The distances of the nozzle edges 6 from the body to be cooled in this case are, for example, 5 to 250 mm.

Through a relative movement either of the cooling apparatus in relation to a body to be cooled or vice versa, particularly a swinging or oscillating motion, the cooling pattern according to FIG. 10 moves across the surface of the body to be cooled; the medium flowing away from the hot body finds enough room between the cooling blades 2 and thus no cross flow is produced on the surface to be cooled.

According to the invention, the spaces between are acted on with corresponding flow mediums by means of an additional cross flow in order for the medium flowing against the hot body to be sucked up between the blades.

With the invention, it is advantageously possible to achieve a homogeneous cooling of hot elements that is inexpensive and has a high degree of variability with regard to the target temperature and possible throughput times.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 cooling apparatus -   2 cooling blade -   3 cooling blade base -   4 cooling blade broad sides -   5 cooling blade narrow sides -   6 nozzle edge -   7 cavity -   8 cooling blade frame -   10 nozzles -   11 nozzle conduits -   12 wedge-shaped struts -   14 fluid supplies 

1. An apparatus for cooling hot articles, in particular an apparatus for homogeneous, contactless cooling of hot, primarily non-endless surfaces; the cooling apparatus has at least one cooling blade (2) or one cooling cylinder; the cooling blade (2) or cooling cylinder is embodied as hollow and has a cooling blade nozzle edge (6) or a plurality of cooling cylinders arranged in a row; in the nozzle edge (6) at least one nozzle (10) is provided, which is aimed at an article to be cooled; and at least seven cooling blades are arranged in such a way that the flow pattern on the surface to be cooled forms a honeycomb-like structure, characterized in that a moving device (16) is provided, with which the cooling blade(s) (2) can be moved with a cooling blade frame (8) and a fluid supply box (15) across a body to be cooled in a swinging or oscillating fashion or with which the body to be cooled can be moved relative to the cooling blades (2) in a swinging or oscillating fashion; the cooling blade and/or the cooling cylinder and/or the cooling apparatus has units with which the apparatus is equipped so that it oscillates around the X, Y, or Z axis or the apparatus has moving devices with which an article to be cooled can be moved relative to the cooling blades or cooling apparatus in oscillating fashion around the x, y, or z axis.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of cooling blades (2) is provided, which are arranged parallel to and spaced apart from one another.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling blades (2) are respectively offset from one another by half the distance between the nozzles (10) at the nozzle edge (6).
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling blade(s) (2) has/have a cooling blade base (3), cooling blade broad sides (4), cooling blade narrow sides (5), and a nozzle edge (6); the nozzle edge (6), the cooling blade broad sides (4), and the cooling blade narrow sides (5) border a cavity (7), and the cooling blade(s) (2) is/are placed with the cooling blade base (3) in or on the cooling blade frame (8); and the cooling blade frame (8) can be placed onto the fluid box (15) for purposes of the fluid supply.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling blade and/or the cooling cylinder and/or the cooling apparatus has units with which the apparatus is embodied so that it oscillates around the X, Y, or Z axis or the apparatus has moving devices with which an article to be cooled can be moved in oscillating fashion around the x, y, or z axis relative to the cooling blades and/or the cooling apparatus.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the following conditions are present: hydraulic diameter of nozzle=DH, where DH=4×A/U distance of nozzle from body=H distance between two cooling blades/cooling cylinders=S length of nozzle=L L>=6×DH H<=6×DH, esp. 4 to 6×DH S<=6×DH, esp. 4 to 6×DH (staggered array) oscillation=half of the spacing distance between two cooling blades in X, Y (poss. Z)
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the devices for moving the apparatus produce an oscillation speed of 0.25 seconds per cycle.
 8. A method for cooling hot articles, in particular a method for homogeneous, contactless cooling of hot, primarily non-endless surfaces, in particular through the use of an apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a cooling apparatus (1) and an article with a hot surface are moved relative to each other; the cooling apparatus (1) has at least two cooling blades (2) that are parallel to and spaced apart from each other; the cooling blades (2) have a nozzle edge (6) with nozzles (10) aimed at the article to be cooled; a cooling fluid is directed by the nozzles (10) at the surface of the article to be cooled and after contacting the hot surface, the cooling fluid flows away in the space between the blades (2); the cooling apparatus is oscillated around the x, y, or z axis or an article to be cooled is oscillated around the x, y, or z axis relative to the cooling appa 